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LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Social Work License to California: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) ↗

A clinical social work license moves to California through licensure by endorsement with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS): license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and California's own checks. Expect $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.); processing Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.. California has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.

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Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Outside the Social Work Licensure Compact, California will keep licensing incoming social workers only through its own process even after the compact launches, unless its legislature acts. For a move now, that makes no difference, since no state is issuing compact licenses.

California's clinical-level license is the LCSW. California also registers Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW) and has no LMSW-equivalent practice license. Out-of-state LCSWs who have been licensed at the highest independent level for at least two years qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1 (added 2019, SB 679): the clinical exam and supervised experience are not re-evaluated, but California-specific coursework and the California Law and Ethics Exam are required. Applicants who do not meet the two-year test fall under 4996.17.2, which re-evaluates out-of-state education and experience against California's requirements. California has NOT enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact. The BBS site (bbs.ca.gov) refused all connections on 2026-09-27, so the application page URL and DCA license search could not be confirmed to load; requirements here come from the statute.

California requirements at a glance

Out-of-state social work license transfer requirements for California, verified 2026-09-27
ExamThe national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure.
Additional requirements
  • Hold a clinical social work license at the highest independent-practice level in another US jurisdiction, current, active and unrestricted for at least two years immediately before applying
  • Hold the master's degree in social work that qualified you for the out-of-state license
  • Complete 12 hours of California law and professional ethics coursework plus 15 hours (one semester unit) on California cultures and socioeconomic position
  • Complete 7 hours of child abuse assessment and reporting training and 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention
  • Pass the California Law and Ethics Examination
  • Meet the Live Scan fingerprint requirement (Bus. & Prof. Code 144)
Fees$250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.)
Processing timeNot verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.

Step by step

  1. Confirm California's current requirements on the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) (application linked on this page).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
  4. Hold a clinical social work license at the highest independent-practice level in another US jurisdiction, current, active and unrestricted for at least two years immediately before applying.
  5. Hold the master's degree in social work that qualified you for the out-of-state license.
  6. Complete 12 hours of California law and professional ethics coursework plus 15 hours (one semester unit) on California cultures and socioeconomic position.
  7. Complete 7 hours of child abuse assessment and reporting training and 6 hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention.
  8. Pass the California Law and Ethics Examination.
  9. Meet the Live Scan fingerprint requirement (Bus. & Prof. Code 144).
  10. Pay the fees ($250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.)) and allow Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read..

Official links

California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) ↗California application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into California:

Alabama → CaliforniaAlaska → CaliforniaArizona → CaliforniaArkansas → CaliforniaColorado → CaliforniaConnecticut → CaliforniaDelaware → CaliforniaDistrict of Columbia → CaliforniaFlorida → CaliforniaGeorgia → CaliforniaHawaii → CaliforniaIdaho → CaliforniaIllinois → CaliforniaIndiana → CaliforniaIowa → CaliforniaKansas → CaliforniaKentucky → CaliforniaLouisiana → CaliforniaMaine → CaliforniaMaryland → California
All 50 origin states
Massachusetts → CaliforniaMichigan → CaliforniaMinnesota → CaliforniaMississippi → CaliforniaMissouri → CaliforniaMontana → CaliforniaNebraska → CaliforniaNevada → CaliforniaNew Hampshire → CaliforniaNew Jersey → CaliforniaNew Mexico → CaliforniaNew York → CaliforniaNorth Carolina → CaliforniaNorth Dakota → CaliforniaOhio → CaliforniaOklahoma → CaliforniaOregon → CaliforniaPennsylvania → CaliforniaRhode Island → CaliforniaSouth Carolina → CaliforniaSouth Dakota → CaliforniaTennessee → CaliforniaTexas → CaliforniaUtah → CaliforniaVermont → CaliforniaVirginia → CaliforniaWashington → CaliforniaWest Virginia → CaliforniaWisconsin → CaliforniaWyoming → California

Nearby states

Social Work license transfer into the states bordering California:

California for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my social work license transfer to California?

A clinical social work license moves to California through licensure by endorsement with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS): license verification, your ASWB score sent by score transfer, and California's own checks. Expect $250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.); processing Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.. California has not enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact.

Do I have to retake the ASWB exam to get licensed in California?

The national clinical exam is waived for applicants who qualify under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.17.1, so the ASWB Clinical exam is not retaken. California requires its own board-administered California Law and Ethics Examination on top of that ($150 statutory exam fee), and the applicant must pass it before licensure. ASWB sends the score for $40 per transfer, requested in ASWBCentral, and delivery takes 7-10 business days.

How much does a California clinical social work license cost for an out-of-state applicant?

$250 (Statutory LCSW application fee under Bus. & Prof. Code 4996.3(a)(3) ($250; the Board may raise it by regulation up to $500). Also: $150 California Law and Ethics exam fee, $200 initial license fee, and fingerprint processing fees. The BBS website refused connections on 2026-09-27, so the current regulatory fee schedule could not be confirmed there.)

How long does the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) take?

Not verified. The Board of Behavioral Sciences website (bbs.ca.gov) refused connections throughout 2026-09-27, so its published processing times could not be read.

Is California in the Social Work Licensure Compact?

No. California had not enacted it as of 2026-09-27. Endorsement through the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) is the route in.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]